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RECAP & TAKEAWAYS: Kentucky Takes Down Kentucky State 99-53 in Final Exhibition

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Tyler Ulis and Rob Dillingham walking off the court together after the Kentucky Wildcats win a preseason exhibition.
UK Athletics

What a fun outing from the Kentucky Wildcats on Thursday night against Kentucky State.

Kentucky defeated the Kentucky State Thorobreds 99-53 in their final exhibition of the season. Early on, Kentucky took advantage of transition opportunities they got from forcing turnovers. The same was true in the second half, as the Thorobreds ended the game with only 13 turnovers committed, but it felt like it was double that.

All five members of the starting five reach double-digit scoring figures as well. If UK put out just the starters, Kentucky would have won by 24 points, 77-53. Safe to say, it was a fun night in Rupp Arena, but here’s what there was to take away from the game:

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Tre Mitchell Holding Down the Fort

Kentucky was (again) without their 21 feet of big men. Prior to the game, John Calipari mentioned that Zvonimir Ivisic will go through warm ups, but he was actually never in Rupp Arena to begin with.

Ivisic got food poisoning in a team dinner, and the team doctor ordered that he stayed home and rested, according to Calipari. Of course, Aaron Bradshaw and Ugonna Onyenso are still out as they continue to recover from their injuries.

That being said, however, Tre Mitchell did more than enough to fill in the missing shoes of the three big men. Mitchell finished the night with 15 points on 6-9 shooting (3-5 from three). He also had ten rebounds, four assists, three steals, and two blocks. Solid all-around night for the former West Virginia Mountaineer.

Wagner, Edwards Finding Their Rhythym

It has been no secret that while DJ Wagner and Justin Edwards have been good, they haven’t been great, like they were expected to be. However, that was not the narrative against Kentucky State. Instead, Wagner and Edwards showed off their lottery pick (or even top five pick) potential.

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Wagner shot an efficient 50% from the field, going 5-10 to score 12 points. He was challenged to be more than just a scorer by the coaching staff, however. Specifically, they wanted him to be a better passer and set up teammates for buckets, and he did that. He would end the exhibition with 7 assists.

Edwards was also prolific on the hardwood against Kentucky State on Thursday night. Edwards started the game 5-5 with 10 points, and he only added to his stat line from there. He finished with 17 points on 8-12 shooting while also accumulating nine rebounds, two blocks, and a steal. Great night of basketball from Wagner and Edwards.

Antonio “Threeves” is Back

Kentucky’s best shooter was Antonio Reeves on Thursday night. Shocker, right? Kidding, but it was nice to see Reeves finally get things rolling in Rupp Arena again. He shined in Canada and even during the blue-white game at NKU, but between Big Blue Madness and the Georgetown exhibition, Reeves had been struggling to find his shot in Rupp.

Well, I think it’s safe to say that Reeves did not struggle to make shots against Kentucky State. To begin the exhibition, it seemed like it may be another rough night for him, but that quickly turned around.

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Reeves would put up a team-leading 20 points, going 4-6 from three point land. Finally, Kentucky got their three point assassin back. It seemed like anytime Reeves had the ball in his hand, there was an electrifying dagger on the way. Good to see him rekindle the fire Thursday night.


Overall, there were A LOT of positives that came from Thursday’s exhibition. Everyone seemed to be firing on all cylinders. John Calipari’s squad did even more than they were expected to against Kentucky State. The season officially begins right back in Rupp Arena against New Mexico State on November 6th. You can view the box score from the exhibition here.

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Men's Basketball

CBS Sports: Kentucky Has “ended pursuits” in Transfer Portal Following Aberdeen Commitment

In the wake of yet another addition to Kentucky’s incoming roster, CBS Sports reports that Coach Pope and staff may have closed the portal.

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Mark Pope and staff may have everything they need from the transfer portal.
Chet White | UK Athletics

Following another flurry of transfer portal additions in his second year at the helm, it appears that Mark Pope and staff are satisfied with their sophomore haul. The portal in Lexington may be officially closed for the 2025-26′ season.

Right after Kentucky received the surprising commitment of Denzel Aberdeen, Matt Norlander, an analyst for CBS Sports, posted the following on X (Twitter):

“Barring any portal defections, Kentucky has ended its pursuits of all other portal targets, sources told CBS Sports. Getting Aberdeen today [April 21] meant they’ve moved off Andrej Stojakovic, Rylan Griffen, etc. Otega Oweh going through pre-draft process-but I expect him back in Lex”.

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With the addition of Aberdeen, the Wildcats’ roster ballooned to near-max capacity for next season. Seeing two of the team’s walk-on players, Grant Darbyshire and Walker Horn, enter the transfer portal seemed to all but confirm this suspicion, too.

Losing One of Our Own

That is, until last night. With less than two hours remaining for players to do so, Travis Perry shocked much of the Big Blue Nation by throwing his name into the hat. This came just weeks after a string of comments from the Kentucky-native point guard seemed to confirm his return for a sophomore season.

Though all the same, given Kentucky’s bulk of back-court additions this offseason, his departure makes sense for the sake of playing time alone. The Lyon King will be sorely missed.

So while the Kentucky staff may still be very much content with their current roster, with hundreds of players remaining in the portal and an unexpected spot on the roster coming open, another grab is far from out of the question.

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Who Coach Pope and company would go after is entirely unclear, as that potential player would likely have to accept a minimized role off the bench for a stretch of his time in Lexington. If anything, the logical replacement would be a direct fill-in at the PG2/PG3 spot in Perry’s absence.

Either way, the ‘Cats are set to come into next season as one of the most exciting teams in college basketball with a ceiling far out of view. Mark Pope continues to prove his prowess in the transfer market, too, easing the worries of Wildcats fans and closing the door on many supposed “insiders” who’ve spent the last month suggesting otherwise.

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Men's Basketball

REPORT: Travis Perry Enters Transfer Portal

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Kentucky basketball Travis Perry talks about growing more comfortable on the court.
Jordan Prather | IMAGN

The transfer portal has been kind to Kentucky in the Mark Pope era. Last season, the staff was able to build a Sweet Sixteen roster almost exclusively from the portal, and this offseason have put together a top-five portal class.

While the portal giveth, it also taketh. Just hours before the deadline to enter, Kentucky native and fan favorite Travis Perry has entered the transfer portal, per multiple reports.

Coming to Kentucky as the state’s all-time high-school scoring record holder, fans were excited to see how his career would unfold in Lexington.

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Not expecting to play much freshman, he was called upon due to injuries and played some key minutes for the Wildcats into the postseason. He averaged 2.7 PPG and .6 APG on 32% shooting from three.

Looking at the depth chart, it was difficult to see where Perry would get much playing time next season, leading to his decision to enter the portal.

Perry has yet to release an official statement, but all the best to him in his future.

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Men's Basketball

Top Transfer Guard Denzel Aberdeen Commits to Kentucky

Former Florida guard Denzel Aberdeen commits to Kentucky, likely closing the transfer portal for next year’s roster.

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Denzel Aberdeen commits to Kentucky.
UF Athletics

Another day, another “boom.” Denzel Aberdeen has officially committed to Kentucky for the 2025-26’ season.

A soon-to-be senior guard fresh off his championship win with Florida, Aberdeen spent his first three years of eligibility in Gainesville. Now, following an apparent conflict in the Gators’ rotation, he’s swapped teams in the southeast.

At 6 ‘5”, 190, Aberdeen spent much of this past season beating defenders off the dribble and making them pay at the rim. His speed and size made him a nightmare off the bench for opposing teams, and for the short stretch of play that he started during the year, Florida didn’t miss a beat. 

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In 19 minutes, Aberdeen averaged 8 points, two rebounds and one assist per game. His consistent contribution to the Gators’ title run made him one of the most coveted transfers in the cycle this season, and given his big blue commitment just days after entering the portal, Mark Pope clearly wasted no time in Kentucky’s pursuit.

Aberdeen slots in as yet another addition to what was already one of the strongest portal classes going into next season. His SEC experience and combo-guard intangibles make Aberdeen one of the most exciting portal players to come through Lexington in a long while, reinforcing Kentucky’s back court to what may be the final degree.

Whether or not Mark Pope is officially done for next season, nobody is sure, but this commitment only further cements the fact that he knows exactly what he’s doing. Just like the  fanbase behind him, Coach Pope seems to never sleep.

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